Should Downtown Have a Stricter Curfew for Teens?

By now you’ve probably heard that the City of Las Vegas is considering a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekend curfew for kids under the age of 18, in an effort to curb underage drinking in the Fremont East district. The proposed ordinance will be brought before the City Council this Wednesday and, reportedly, fast-tracked for a vote later this month. (An existing citywide curfew already bans those under 18 from being on the streets after midnight on weekends, and 10 p.m. on weekdays.)

As it now stands, the suggested curfew area extends far beyond Fremont East, covering everything from Sahara to US 95, from Interstate 15 to Eastern. The City says that the actual ordinance won’t be that grandiose in its finished form — which begs the question, which shape should a Downtown curfew take? If this thing is more or less certain to happen (and judging from the police presence on Fremont East these past few months, I’d say “more”), which areas should it cover, and who should be bound by it? Should it incorporate entire neighborhoods that are unrelated to Fremont East, as the proposed ordinance now does? And how does it address drinking by kids 18-20, who are — let’s face it — at the heart of the problem?

We’d like to hear your thoughts on the suggested curfew. Personally, I’m withholding judgement until Wednesday’s City Council meeting, when we’ll find out how the proposal accommodates all-ages events like Vegas StrEATs, which seems directly targeted by the suggested curfew. And frankly, I’d like to know how the City intends to enforce it in my neighborhood of the Huntridge, where the kids are all right.

Please share your thoughts in the comments below. To enact, or not to enact?